LAWRENCEVILLE, NJ – Abby Cruz (Corona, CA/Santiago) and Olivia Burroughs (Escondido, CA/San Pasqual) hit Game 1 home runs and the Rider Softball pitchers Anna-Marie Groskritz (Granby, CT/Granby Memorial) and Kathryn Schmierer (Racine, WI/Racine Lutheran) didn't allow an earned run on the day as the Broncs split a non-conference doubleheader vs. Morgan State on Wednesday. The Broncs won Game 1, 4-0, before Schmierer no hit the Bears in Game 2, but an unearned run was the only tally of a 1-0 Morgan State win. With the split, the Broncs move to 18-28, while the Bears are now 14-27.

In Game 1, the Broncs took a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the second on a two-out, two-run double from Shelby Dyer (Clarksboro, NJ/Kingsway Regional), scoring Cruz and Aspen Wheeler (Lampasas, TX/Lampasas), both of whom had singled earlier in the inning. The lead stretched to 4-0 in the fourth on solo home runs from Cruz and Burroughs. The support was more than enough for Groskritz, who spun her fifth complete-game shutout of the season, retiring 15 in a row at one point.

The lone run in Game 2 came in the top of the sixth. Schmierer's 0-2 offering hit Amber Rivas with one out, before pinch runner Cassie White moved to second on a sacrifice bunt. A ground ball to short for what would've been the third out got past Wheeler, allowing White to score what proved to be the winning run. Rider finished with six hits in the game, including two from Burroughs, but Bears pitcher Victoria Fletcher buckled down and didn't allow more than one hit in a single inning after the second, holding Rider off the scoreboard.

Notes
- Groskritz pitched a complete-game, three-hit shutout, striking out eight and walking just one over 7.0 innings.
- Schmierer allowed one unearned run on one walk and a hit-by-pitch over the full 7.0 innings, striking out five.
- The no hitter was the 16^th in Rider Softball history and the first since Jessie Niegocki no hit Fairfield in a five-inning win on April 2, 2022.
- It was the first seven-inning no hitter in at least 25 years, with the last five coming in either five or six innings. The search for box scores and supporting info prior to Devin Karcesky's no hitter in 2002 is in progress.

Broncs by the Numbers
- Burroughs led the Rider offense, going 3-for-5 with a solo home run in Game 1 and two singles in Game 2.
- Cruz had two hits in Game 2, including a solo home run, and two runs scored.
- Wheeler singled and scored a run in Game 1.
- Dyer hit a two-run double in Game 1.
- Kristyn Gardner (Perryville, MD/Perryville) added a single in Game 1.   

Up Next
The Broncs return to league play this weekend, when they play host to Niagara for a three-game set. Due to rain in Saturday's forecast, the decision to play a Friday doubleheader has been made. Game 1 will begin at 2 p.m., with a single game at noon on Saturday scheduled.